


Because I could not stop for death: Emotional Manipulation in "They Keep Killing Suzie"

by merryghoul



Category: Torchwood
Genre: Attempted Murder, Canon Temporary Character Death, Canon-Typical Violence, Community: angst_bingo, Emotional Manipulation, Episode: s01e01 Everything Changes, Episode: s01e08 They Keep Killing Suzie, Gen, Implied/Referenced Character Death, Implied/Referenced Suicide, Mentions of Cancer, Nonfiction
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-01-29
Updated: 2020-01-29
Packaged: 2021-02-27 13:47:40
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 916
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22358179
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/merryghoul/pseuds/merryghoul
Summary: Meta on how Suzie Costello, in her attempt to live forever in the episode "They Keep Killing Suzie," hurt Gwen Cooper.
Relationships: Gwen Cooper & Suzie Costello
Kudos: 2
Collections: March Meta Matters Challenge





	Because I could not stop for death: Emotional Manipulation in "They Keep Killing Suzie"

**Author's Note:**

> This is a reworked version of a meta essay originally written for the angst_bingo community on LiveJournal. Prompt was "manipulation." Original essay posted 13 April 2011.
> 
> This essay does briefly mention events that happen towards the end of the BBC Books novel _Long Time Dead._ It doesn't cover personal details about Suzie revealed in the Big Finish audio stories (released well after this essay was originally published).
> 
> Title is obviously from the Emily Dickinson poem of the same name.
> 
> Feedback and concrit is welcome.

You're surrounded by death every day in your workplace. You're fond of Dickinson poems and your father's dying of cancer. What do you do?

Answer: Kill yourself and plan a very elaborate resurrection. That is, if you're Suzie Costello.

By using deception, secrecy and manipulation (this meta will largely focus on the manipulation), Suzie Costello almost brought herself back to life. Almost. If it wasn't for that meddling Torchwood, she'd probably be indestructible.  
  
  


Before the events of "They Keep Killing Suzie," Suzie attended meetings at a "religious debate group," Pilgrim. There she met a man called Max. She'd tell Max about Torchwood and then give him doses of Retcon "[o]nce a week, every week. For two years." This is considered an overdose, according to Jack.

Suzie knew what she was doing with the Retcon, despite denying it in front of Jack. Suzie intentionally told Max about Torchwood and gave him Retcon to drive him mad. In turn, she programmed Max to kill members of Pilgrim, eventually forcing Torchwood to get involved to the point they have to revive her.

She also programmed Max to recite "Because I could not stop for death" by Emily Dickinson to trap the other members of Torchwood that couldn't revive her with the glove. That way the other members couldn't stop Suzie from taking the life of her victim. If she was successful, they would have all died in the Hub.

Suzie's gambit officially begins at the end of "Everything Changes," when, after she kills several people with a "Life Knife" and one of the "Resurrection Gauntlets," she kills herself after failing to kill Jack Harkness.

Suzie didn't think Gwen would be the person to revive her with the glove. But what she did know is that, in order for her to escape the Hub, she needed to prey on her victim's feelings.

The first thing Suzie says upon being revived is a sarcastic "Well, wouldn't you know it, Gwen bloody Cooper!" But Suzie can't be antagonistic forever, not towards her chosen victim. When Suzie is moved to Torchwood's interrogation room, she starts pleading instead of sniping at Gwen. She tells Jack "Can't you just let me die?" as he interrogates her. Suzie feels her victim will feel bad about bringing her back to life, especially if it was against Suzie's will. Eventually Gwen believes Suzie was brought back against her will, and she starts to feel compassion for Suzie.

It should be noted Suzie doesn't display this manipulative behavior in front of other team members. For instance, Suzie criticizes Toshiko for being "judgmental." Suzie even rolls her eyes behind Tosh's back while Tosh is talking talks to Suzie.

While Gwen is at the Wolf Bar looking for Max, Suzie warns Gwen about Max almost harming her. Gwen credits Suzie for saving Gwen's life; Suzie says "Maybe I've come back for a reason." Through scaring Gwen, Suzie is able to build false confidence between Gwen and herself.

Back at the Hub, Gwen and Suzie talk in the interrogation room. Instead of pleading for death, Suzie puts herself down as she’s talking to Gwen in what seems like a friendly conversation. Suzie compliments Gwen in her ability to use the Resurrection Gauntlet ("You got that glove to work better than I did.") and claims that no one liked Suzie while she was alive and active in Torchwood Three ("The other [members of Torchwood], they prefer you."). Suzie also drops hints that she's the one behind the resurrection and everything associated with it ("It's almost like you planned it."). Suzie also throws in her father, dying of cancer in a hospital, to make Gwen feel even sorrier for Suzie. It's enough to get Gwen in a fight with Jack and motivate Gwen to sneak Suzie out of the Hub to get Suzie to the hospital.

As the two are driving to the hospital, Suzie continues to put down Gwen. After Gwen talks about what she thinks is the afterlife, Suzie says "Your faith never left primary school." Gwen doesn't seem to mind, in large part because Suzie is still preying on her feelings and life force. As Gwen is enjoying [Middle of the Road's "Soley, Soley,"](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DJhUe0ek0cM) Suzie says it's a song her mother sung to her when she was little. Suzie cries as Gwen is enjoying the song. Whether Suzie was telling the truth about the song or coming up with a lie to feed off of Gwen's emotions is not known. It's only when Gwen discovers she's being "shot in the head" that Gwen realizes Suzie was only being Gwen's friend long enough to heal her wounds and almost take her life. Suzie's link to Gwen, the Gauntlet, is destroyed by Tosh later, and Suzie finally dies (at least in televison canon; the character was revived chronologically in the spinoff novel _Long Time Dead_ ).

"They Keep Killing Suzie" showed Suzie at her most powerful: getting Gwen Cooper to pity Suzie long enough to allow Suzie to kill her father and heal her gunshot wound through the head. Suzie did the majority of this through manipulation. She let the Resurrection Glove do the rest. That's what makes the follow-up book _Long Time Dead_ disappointing in my opinion. The book's plot doesn't involve Suzie attempting to manipulate others to attempt to live forever. Rather, Suzie's at the mercy of an alien device sucking her back into its "Hell." The book didn't play up Suzie's strength of manipulation like "They Keep Killing Suzie" did.


End file.
